Justin Smith is talking Super Bowl (this time, he means it)

In his first 10 years spent with the Bengals and the 49ers, All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Smith experienced one winning season and zero playoff victories.

Still, Smith admitted today, he would routinely trot out the typical our-goal-is-to-win-the-Super-Bowl stuff before yet another losing year in Cincinnati or San Francisco.

“I’ve said that before in the offseason, but then you’re like …” Smith smiled and rolled his eyes, making it clear he didn’t believe his standard Super-Bowl chatter.

Of course, things have changed after the 49ers went 13-3 and won the first playoff game of Smith’s 11-year career in 2011.

In the offseason, they’ve bolstered the offense, adding pieces such as Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and LaMichael James, while bringing every starter back from one of the league’s most dominating defenses.

Yes, Smith is again talking Super Bowl in the offseason. The difference is he believes it this season. And he’s passing along a let’s-strike-while-this-team-is-loaded message to his teammates.

“The mindset that I’ve kind of been spreading a little bit to the guys is, ‘You know, your team isn’t always stacked forever,’” Smith said. “With free agency, the way drafts are set up – if you have successful seasons you get the lower end of the draft. You have certain windows. And you don’t want to get into ‘Is this our window? Do have two years, three years?’ I wouldn’t say that. I know with some of the guys that he we have and with free agency and all that, we’re not going to be able to keep this team together forever.

“Even age-wise, the whole team won’t be the same. I’m kind of stressing, let’s go about this in a way that we’re kind of focused, we’re not building. Let’s do it this year and then see what happens next year. Take a year-by-year approach. I think this year, put everything together and work the way that we need to work, hopefully we can accomplish our goal.”

Smith, who is the classic speak-softly-and-kick-everyone’s-butt type, was unusually expansive during a seven-minute meeting with the media today.

He was so interesting, in fact, that I’ve included the highlights below. Smith discussed his desire to never leave the field (he played 946 of 1,037 snaps last year and has started 171 straight games), his own window of opportunity in his career (at 32, he think he has at least three more good seasons left) and his thoughts on Randy Moss (like everyone else, he’s been impressed … I’d offer Smith’s endorsement carries more weight than most).

(Could you be even better if you player fewer snaps?)

I don’t know. I don’t really want to find out. I figure I’ve been doing it that way 11 years, what’s a couple more.

Does it help going against same guy the whole game — by end of game you’re setting him up, you’ve worn down on him?

Yeah, I just always figured if there out there, you can be out there. They’re not turning and running to the ball and things like that, but, you know, I don’t think it’s that big o0f a factor, personally.

(Is there a different mindset in the locker room this offseason?)

The mindset that I’ve kind of been spreading a little bit to the guys is, you know, your team isn’t always stacked forever. With free agency, the way drafts are set up – if you have successful seasons you get the lower end of the draft. You have certain windows. And you don’t want to get into ‘Is this our window? Do have two years, three years?’ I wouldn’t say that. I know with some of the guys that he we have and with free agency and all that, we’re not going to be able to keep this team together forever. Even age-wise, the whole team won’t be the same. I’m kind of stressing, let’s go about this in a way that we’re kind of focused, we’re not building. Let’s do it this year and then see what happens next year. Take a year-by-year approach. I think this year, put everything together and work the way that we need to work, hopefully we can accomplish our goal.

(Is that fueled by fact front office brought back the entire defense?)

They won’t tell you they feel the same way, but I do think they do feel the same way: ‘Lets’ go out and let’s try to hammer this thing home.’ That’s our goal and it’s 31 other teams’ goal as well. So it’s going to be a tough one to achieve, but we feel like we have the right team to do it.

(Do you take vacation time?)

Not really. I figured in a couple years, before I find what else I’m going to do, I’ll take some time then. Get an RV or something, why not?

(Do you think about your own window and where you are in your career?)

Sure. I figure I got three more good years in me, four more good years. I don’t want to be the guy that becomes the third-down guy, plays 17 (snaps), I don’t want to do that. I’m figuring, let’s go, you know? Time is of the essence for me, personally. Not veryone else, we have a young defense. But I think everyone feels the urgency and we’ve got the guys right now. Let’s not wait.

(Vic Fangio mentioned it always helps when your best players are your hardest workers. He was talking about you. Do you feel like other teammates are watching how you go about your business?)

Not really. I mean, this is a unique locker room. You don’t really have gigantic egos. Some of the best players in there are the most down-to-earth guys, solid guys. Just trying to play football. “Randy had all these – ‘What’s he like?’ … He’s been one of the coolest guys, one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever met. Media-wise that wasn’t the perception that he had. So it just goes to show the type of guys that they’re bringing in and the locker room that’s in there.

(Do you feel like a legitimate Super Bowl contender entering this season?)

Yeah, I mean, that’s our goal. Thirty-one other teams have that goal – if they necessarily believe it or not. I’ve said that before in the offseason, but then you’re like … But that’s our goal, and that’s our mindset, and that’s what we want to accomplish. They’re not just going to give us a ‘W’ for walking out there. We’re going to get everybody’s best game this year and we’re going to have to play even better than we played last year to have the same success. We know that and we’re prepared to go and try to do that.